BPM Shugo Chara Ikuto Tsukiyomi
by decemberxrain
Summary: Hitomi Yamanashi is a middle schooler living in a house full of sisters. When she befriends Ikuto Tsukiyomi, their relationship becomes complicated. So which one's faster? The beat of her music or the beat of her heart? She'll just have to measure her BPM
1. 1: FIGHTO!

I walked curiously through a forest. Not quite sure how or why I got here. It was all so sudden, like a big blur. Hearing my name being chanted quietly, I stopped and slowly approached the direction of the voice. Suddenly, the voice grew angry and began yelling my name. So, like any person in their right mind, I ran in the other direction. Unfortunately, the voice echoed all around me, confusing me. I felt a harsh tug on my ankles, as if someone had taken hold and pulled with all their might. As I fell, I was blinded by a rapidly approaching light, followed quickly by my nose smashing into the wooden floor of my bedroom. I sat up, shouting and cradling my nose.

"Oh shut up. It serves you right." I heard the indignant voice of my 20-year-old sister behind me. Turning around, I decided that I was right when I caught sight of her long, wavy blonde hair and stern dark blue eyes. "Now, get up. It's time for school." She exited my room before I could retort so I settled for an icy glare at her back.

I stood and collapsed on my bed again, poking my nose in various spots to make sure it hadn't broken from Yuka's hardcore rousing methods. Concluding that it hadn't been broken, I sat up once more and stretched. "That looked like an especially rough bump today." A small young man floated into my field of vision and looked at my nose, half-concerned and half-amused.

I couldn't help but crack a smile as I took a swat at him as if he were a fly. "Shut up, Huang." My fingertips barely grazed his long leather jacket and his skin-tight black shirt beneath before he dodged, stealing a poke at my nose. I flinched at the pain. Even a Shugo Chara's touch hurts.

I dramatically waddled to the bathroom down the hall and brushed my long black hair and washed my face. My younger twin sisters, Mari and Maya, soon joined me in the tiny bathroom. They only stayed long enough to sleepily brush their teeth and freshen themselves up. Before they left, as usual, I was forced to sit both of them down on the floor in front of the toilet where I sat, brushing out and tucking barrettes into their light brown hair.

I returned to my bedroom and dressed into my middle school uniform. After eating a quick breakfast, I returned once more to snatch up my school bag and sling my guitar case onto my back. I tucked Huang's and the still-sleeping Alice's egg into my bag gently. Huang's egg was black with what looked like white paint splatters dotted all over it. Alice's egg was a dark gray with a black broken heart with one angel wing and another mechanical looking wing extending from it. Adorning the top and bottom of her egg was white torn lace.

Huang flipped his messy black hair out of his dark green eyes and returned lazily to his egg. I rushed downstairs and ran out of the house with Mari and Maya at my sides, waving goodbye to Yuka who was busy holding my sleeping youngest sister, Sayuri.

We reached Seiyo Academy just before the bell rang. Mari and Maya waved and ran inside the gates to all their friends. I waited at the gates for only a few moments before I heard a familiar voice. "Hey! Hitomi!" I turned and saw my best friend, Kukai Souma running towards me. He stopped and panted for a moment before speaking again. "I hope you weren't waiting long." He grinned and rubbed his head. I shook my head. "Actually, you have the most incredible timing I've ever seen." The two of us laughed, only to be cut off by the bell from Seiyo. Our eyes widened in shock before we made an amazing dash to our middle school. "Did I say the most incredible timing? Sorry, I meant the worst." We laughed as we ran towards our middle school.

The day had gone as it normally did. Long, boring, and, for the most part, pointless. As everyone was saying goodbye, I was washing my face in the water faucets that were placed outside the school for the athletes. While dabbing my face with my pink laced handkerchief, I watched Kukai and the rest of the soccer club jog their laps. Noticing my presence, Kukai ordered the others to continue on while he ran over to me and began jogging in place. "You…going home?" he panted. I nodded. "Ok, well….I'll see you later?" I nodded again, picking up my school bag. Kukai turned and began running back to the line.

"Kukai!" I shouted after him, remembering why I had hesitated to leave. He turned around and came back. "Masaya's birthday is next week right? I still haven't gotten him anything. Have you?" He stopped suddenly with wide eyes. "You forgot, didn't you?" I couldn't help my smirk. He nodded shortly and began groaning.

"Ohhh….What'll I do, Hitomi?!" He gritted his teeth and ruffled his hair, irritated. I giggled quietly and placed a hand on his sweat-matted hair. "Relax, how about you and I go shopping tomorrow for his presents?" He stopped and grinned at me, nodding vigorously. He ran back to his line, yelling excitedly. "Fight-o, Fight-o!"

I ran over to the gates of Seiyo. Thanks to that little ordeal with Kukai, I had been late to picking up Mari and Maya. They were waiting patiently and smiled when they saw me. On the way home, the two chatted cheerfully about their day, talking mostly about the "Guardians". What the heck were "Guardians" anyway?! Maybe I'll ask Kukai. After all, he went to Seiyo like Mari and Maya.

That night, I was lying in bed, my pig-covered pajama top bottoned only to my diaphragm. I was talking happily into the phone, Kukai on the other end, listening intently through laughs. "Hey, Kukai. My sister's keep blabbing on about some "Guardian" thing at Seiyo. Do you know what that is?"

After he had finished laughing at my stupidity, he explained that the Guardians were a group of students that organized the affairs of the student body. Could he really blame me for not knowing? I had only been here for a year. I never went to Seiyo.

We talked for another hour or so until Huang made me take note of the time. Midnight. Alice yawned silently and made her way back to her bed. After a quick 30 minute bass practice, I curled up under my covers and fell asleep, satisfied with the days events.


	2. 2: Ready, Set, Dash!

"What about this one?" I pulled from my wooden dresser drawer a cute fitting white T-shirt covered with colorful paint splatter designs. Huang's bored face brightened up at the sight of a tomboy-esque shirt and began nodding like some sort of floating bobblehead. I chuckled at his enthusiasm and turned toward the quieter of my two Charas, Alice. She narrowed her scrutinous eyes at the shirt hanging from my fingertips against my chest. Slowly, she closed her eyes and, without a word, shook her head. She flew over to the drawer, obviously frustrated with my complete lack of style, and began rummaging through it for the perfect outfit. "Eh? But Alice…" Huang whined to his companion's back, knowing full well that his opinion was overruled by Alice's.

"Sorry, Huang. Alice trumps you." I shrugged and shot him a sympathetic look, sitting next to him on the bed. We both waited patiently for Alice to come forth from the abyss of fabric deep within the crevasses of my dresser. If there was one thing that could get Alice to make any effort to do anything, that thing was fashion. Alice, though she was supposed to be my would-be self, was still a complete mystery to me. However, when she hears or mentions fashion, he eyes light up and I like to imagine that it's all she can do to keep from smiling. I fancy that I know her a little more each time we have a conversation about it. The notion that I'm slowly but surely understanding Alice made me smile ever so slightly.

Alice emerged tugging out a red horizontal striped long sleeve shirt and as quick as she threw it towards me; she turned and returned to the drawer. Barely 30 seconds later, she returned struggling to carry over a red overall jumper skirt equipped with pockets in an attempt to appease Huang's desire for tomboyish clothes. Catching the clothes, I nodded and smiled at her before walking towards the bathroom to change. As I left the room, a pair of black tights landed over my eyes. I chuckled and turned to smile at her playfully. "Alright, Alright, Miss Diva." I thought I saw her smile at me as she crossed her arms defiantly.

I returned to the room after changing and shyly snaked around the door. Alice and Huang turned to look at me. Alice nodded twice, a pompous sort of air about her. Huang warily eyed the short skirt disapprovingly. After giving him the puppy dog pout, however, he groaned out a "fine". I giggled and planted a small kiss on his cheek, trying to not engulf his tiny face with my lips. He crossed his arms and a fierce shade of pink burned in his cheeks. I began braiding my hair into two separate pigtail braids. They hung over my shoulders lazily and, with their long black fingers, reached down and touched my hips.

Taking a glance at my clock and reading 10:30 am, I decided I had plenty of time to head downstairs and do the dishes to remain in Yuka's good graces. Perhaps I'd even make breakfast for everyone. As unusual as it was, I was feeling especially helpful today.

After my fingers had been wrinkled from the sink water and the smell of banana pancakes had wafted throughout the house, as if beckoning to all with noses to smell it, Maya and Mari both groggily shuffled into the kitchen. I watched the two slump into their chairs and eat their breakfast. After two pancakes each and a side of light conversation, the twins perked up and chattered away as usual. I heard Sayuri's muffled whine come from upstairs and Yuka's tiptoe steps, no doubt making their way to Sayuri's crib to calm her.

As I thought, Yuka, carrying a sleeping Sayuri, made her way into the kitchen, eyes barely open. I had already made and chilled a bottle for Sayuri's breakfast. I tossed it to her and watched as she suspiciously examined the cleanliness of the kitchen and the ready-made pancakes steaming on the table. She must've shrugged it off because she sat and began feeding Sayuri. After conversing casually with my sisters for what seemed like only 5 minutes but in reality was nearly an hour, I stretched and ran upstairs to grab Huang's and Alice's eggs and my cell phone. Placing them into my bag, gently, I rushed down the stairs and poked my head into the kitchen to tell Yuka I'd be gone for a while. She narrowed her cloudy blues at me but seemed to be reminded of the clean kitchen. She sighed in defeat and nodded. I ran over and placed a kiss on her and Sayuri's cheeks. "Yeah, Yeah…" she moaned exasperatedly. I ruffled Mari and Maya's hair and dashed out the door, determined not to be late this time.

Amu's POV-

It was warm today. Happy for the good weather, I smiled dreamily into the crowd of people. After they had passed, I caught sight of Kukai once again, glad that I hadn't lost him. I could feel my cheeks heat up as Tadase leaned over me to peer around the corner. His warm, soft breath gently caressed my ear. "Is he still alone?" Stiff as a robot, I nodded. Nagihiko thought aloud, "I wonder who he's waiting for." Yaya, on her hands and knees beneath my bent over body, snickered and noted "I bet it's a girl." She said girl with extra emphasis to make her nosy, suspiciousness known. "Everyone quiet. He's seen someone he knows. Look." Rima pointed out. Sure enough, Kukai turned around and waved excitedly. Suddenly a girl with long black braided hair and dressed in red and white stripes and an overall skirt ran into my view and stopped before him, taking a moment to lean on her knees and pant before speaking.

Yaya laughed again. "Told ya…"

They spoke for a few moments before he pointed towards the stores to which they began walking. "Amu-chan, there's something weird about that girl." Ran noted. Miki came in, "Yeah, it feels familiar but almost out of place." Su finally spoke up and said, "She has Shugo Charas! But one's strange…" I nodded and instructed them to follow behind her and maybe catch a glimpse of the charas to debunk this odd feeling all of our charas were experiencing. Ran, Miki, and Su disappeared into the crowd behind them.

The three charas searched for a place to hide on the girl's person. They decided to go for the zipped pouch on her plush dog backpack. However, once unzipped the pouch brought forth two charas that looked all too confused. At the sight of other charas the male chara furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Hello, do you need something?" he asked with as much politeness as he could muster. "You're a boy!" Ran harshly whispered in shock. "Yeah, of course he's a boy. What'd you expect? A floating gerbil?" the female snapped at them. She was losing her already-low tolerance for obvious statements and stupidity. Ran, Miki, and Su looked taken aback for a moment before Miki spoke. "Well, it's just that charas are supposed to be the same gender as the one they guard. We didn't expect for there to be an exception." Su came forward, "You must be the strange aura we were feeling."

The female chara rolled her eyes and returned to the warmth and comfort of the soft, fluffy pouch. The male sighed and shook his head. "Sorry about her. She's kind of a loner. Her name's Alice. And I'm Huang." Huang puffed out his chest and flashed a handsome smirk to the three. They all giggled admirably and introduced themselves.

Waving goodbye, Ran, Miki, and Su flew back to report the strange findings.

Hitomi's POV-

Kukai and I began making our way toward the first store, Tanabe Imports Inc. This store was known for having interesting knick-knacks and whatnots that are perfect for last minute gifts. While I had a strange feeling of being watched, I shrugged it off as the memory of Yuka's narrowed eyes trying to guilt me into returning home.

Inside the store, Kukai and I digressed completely. We were busy listening to music from foreign CDs and playing with slinky's and magic cards. "Hey Hitomi, check this out!" Kukai would tap on my shoulder and say. I'd turn and be met with a terrifying Halloween mask that Kukai had slipped on or a scary, gory movie poster. It was all I could do to keep from screaming or fainting. He knew darn well how weak of a stomach I had. This so wasn't fair.

A few hours of shopping later, we had both chosen our gifts. Kukai chose a vintage Dracula movie poster and I chose a Rolling Stones CD from the 70's. I knew Masaya would appreciate it. It was chock-full of chart-topping songs. Heck, if he doesn't want it. I'd be happy to take it off his hands. We walked through the crowds of people, chatting aimlessly about school and our pet peeves. I stopped suddenly, a glimmer of deep but delicate blue, catching my attention from the corner of my eye. I turned and gasped, immediately dropping to a crouch in front of the display window. Kukai, confused, asked, "What is it, Hitomi?"

I nodded to the window. Inside was a beautiful, dark blue Ibanez bass. Next to it sat a sign advertising "Lefty Sale: Low Prices All Today!". Kukai chuckled and pulled me up and into the small store. He knew how hard it was to find a left-handed instrument of any kind. For a left-handed musician like me, this was like winning the lottery. I felt my heart leap into my throat when the tiny bell rang above our heads to alert employees of customers. The wall covered from floor to ceiling with guitars and basses made my heart beat so quickly and loudly, I was afraid the whole world could hear it.

There was but one employee in the shop, a young man with curly brown hair and a tanned complexion. His honey brown eyes seemed friendly enough hidden behind his glasses but had a peculiar sort of personality about them. His ears were pierced with silver studs and he was hardly dressed for work. He didn't even wear a uniform. At the sound of the bell, he looked up and smiled warmly at us, rolling up his left sleeve with a large tan hand adorned with two rings, one on his middle finger and one on his index finger. The blue plaid flannel rose to his elbow, revealing, on his forearm, a pocket watch with small wings and a broken chain. "Hey, guys. What's up?" He opened the little swinging door that boxed in the counter and walked out to meet us. I noticed as he turned and ran his hand through his hair that he had a black dragon tattooed all along the side of his neck, barely covered by the collar of his blue flannel. Though he was the most unorthodox employee I'd ever seen, I couldn't help but smile at all the personality that emanated from him. I liked him already and, from the smirk on Kukai's face, I could tell he liked him too.

As he approached I noticed this young man was extremely tall. I'd bet on at least 175 cm. "So, I'll take a stab in the dark and say that you're a lefty?" he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded towards Kukai. Kukai shook his head and shrugged. "Actually, it's this one. She's just too shy to say so." He gestured to me and I could feel my cheeks heat up as I lowered my head.

"Oh, I stand corrected. What instrument?" He smiled sympathetically down at me, one eyebrow raised. "B-Bass guitar." I stuttered out. Looking up again, I noticed he looked genuinely taken aback at this. His low, gruff, but warm voice began chuckling. "Awesome. Take a seat, I'll go check in the back. Maybe we'll have some lefty basses. Unfortunately, that one in the window's a righty. It's a shame really. I think it would've accented those baby blues of yours pretty well." Although he was extremely talkative, I enjoyed listening to his voice fill the silent shop. From the door behind the counter I heard his voice echo, slowly getting louder. He emerged with two lefty basses, still babbling on about his electric guitar at home. One bass was exactly like the one in the window save for the dark red stain. The other was a Fender Reggie Hamilton Jazz Bass. "Preference?" He asked me expectantly. "The Ibanez please?"

Handling the bass gently, I placed it upon my thigh and smiled at the fit. The young man, whose name I read, on his nametag, was Akira, activated the amp. "Tear it up, kid." He winked at me and smirked. Realizing soon that Kukai had never heard me play, I became extremely self-conscious. Akira nodded to me and Kukai smiled expectantly. I sighed and tested the strings to feel the strong vibrations of each note. I loved that vibration. It felt as if a wave of courage reverberated within me. I began playing my own bass composition of "Love Me Tender", slow and heartfelt, switching periodically between standard bass plucking and tapping.

After the last note, I just began to hear Kukai start breathing again. "Woah…" was all he could muster. Akira whistled. "You're one talented girl…umm…" he faltered. "Hitomi…Yamanashi Hitomi." I informed and gave him a warm smile. He nodded. "Hitomi…right." After more idle prattle between the three of us, Kukai and I stood and thanked Akira. He smiled and shouted after us "Hey, Hitomi! Come on back sometime, will ya?" I turned and winked at him before Kukai and I disappeared behind the door.

I left the shop in a better mood than before. I must've rattled on for nearly 20 minutes about everything and nothing. It was nice. The sun began to sink lower into the throes of the late afternoon sky, lit with colors.

A sudden vibration from my pocket awoke me from my dreamy conversation with Kukai. On the caller ID I saw the two katakana that I had hoped it wouldn't be- "Yu" and "Ka"-, I sighed and answered. From the other side of the line, I heard Yuka's desperate, panicky voice shouting incoherent words into my ear. After I forcefully told her to calm down and gained the temporary stares of all the people around, she began to make more sense. My eyes widened and my lips involuntarily let out a gasp of shock at the news. I nodded. "Right, I'll call you with updates." I closed my phone and turned to Kukai.

"Maya's gone. No one can find her anywhere." My eyes began to sting from the rising tears. He furrowed his eyebrows, concerned. "And she's not with Mari? They're always together!" I nodded and sighed. "I need to look for her. I'm sorry to leave you like this." I turned and began running down the street. My wrist was tugged back. Kukai held firmly and stared at me, determination manifest in his green eyes. I smiled sadly at him, understanding what he was doing. "Thank you, Kukai."

The two of us ran, shouting Maya's name at intervals. We stopped to ask multiple people if they had seen her. Alas, it was to no avail.

After speaking with a woman who hadn't seen Maya, Kukai approached me with no news. Five kids stood behind him, all looking extremely concerned. Kukai introduced them to me as the infamous Seiyo "Guardians". Amu seemed to be friendly and kind, as did Tadase. Rima seemed sweet but she had a slight air of pompousness. Yaya seemed obnoxious but really sweet and Nagihiko was friendly but looked secretive. Tadase stepped forth and, placing a hand on his chest, sincerely spoke, "We'll help you look for your sister." I smiled and nodded before instructing everyone to spread out and search.

Just before we left however, the seven of us caught sight of a black floating egg, a white "X" printed on it. "Useless" it spoke. "Useless. Useless." It flew off towards the trees. I took off after it at top speed, trying my hardest to catch the mysterious egg that seemed all too familiar. Kukai and the Guardians shouted after me.

The egg had led me to the park. By now, the sun had set and the streetlights illuminated small areas of dull gray concrete. The egg flew over to a small figure, standing motionless by the concrete stairs. The egg suddenly hatched into a black chara. Over and over it shouted "Useless. Useless." Kukai and the others finally caught up with me. A light was emitted from Amu. When it subsided, she was dressed in a pink cheerleading outfit with a pink visor. I was startled at the sudden change. I had never seen a character transformation before. The chara began vibrating and screeched, "Ready, Set, Dash!" It seemed to disappear in front of our eyes. Suddenly, a great wind blew past us, pushing Amu back. The chara reappeared next to the figure and giggled. The figure lifted its limp head. I gasped at the sudden realization. Though her eyes were empty and dead, I recognized her short light brown hair and honey eyes.

Amu summoned her baton, ready to attack. "Don't hurt it! That's Maya's egg!" I shouted. Huang and Alice gasped. The "X" chara charged up again. "Ready, Set, Dash!" A black blur beamed towards Amu. On impulse, I reached my arm out and pushed into Amu's chest. Alice, who flew to save Ran, Miki, and Su, touched my hand. A light shone into my eyes, blinding me. I felt myself lose control of my body. What happened? I came to but I seemed so far away from the world. My limbs moved but it wasn't I that moved them. It was as if my soul was being oppressed, being pushed into the back by an unseen spirit that took control. I could hear my voice in unison with Alice's shouting, "Character Transformation! Scrapped Angel!" Suddenly, my soul seemed to be propelled forward, back into the world I was taken away from. I had control once again.

The group stared with wide eyes at me. I felt a chill run down my spine. "Ready, Set, Dash!" Once more, the spirit that chilled my heart came forth and spoke for me, "Loveless Scythe!" Quick as a flash, I regained control and realized that I had deflected the chara's attack with a swing of my massive scythe. I leapt from my position next to Amu to a point near the chara in one bound. Swiftly, I dug my scythe into the ground and dragged it in a circle directly beneath the chara. With one last jab, I brought my scythe down in the middle of the engraved circle, shouting, "Angelic Cruelty!" A blue cylinder of light and wind swirled upward from the circle and trapped the chara, electrocuting it each time it moved.

Amu nodded to me and shouted, "Open Heart!" I ducked in an attempt to escape the attack. The egg faded into white once more. Smiling, I dropped to one knee. Character transforming really took a lot out of you. Alice emerged and nuzzled against my cheek. I stood and was soon overwhelmed by the group's worried questions and congratulations.

The egg floated towards me and cracked open. From the egg came a sweet looking chara with brown hair in a ponytail and a sweatband on her head. She wore a blue tank top and red shorts and running shoes. "Thanks for saving me, Hitomi-chan! I'm Erika!" I could've cried at that moment. I was witnessing Maya's would-be self, her deepest desire. My sister wanted to be a track star. I smiled. "Take good care of her, ok, Erika?" She flashed me a grin and returned to her egg which, in turn, merged with Maya's chest. Maya, who had fallen onto the steps of the concrete stairs, came to. I leaned over her, hugging and stroking her messy hair. "You passed out from the heat, Maya! I was so worried." She seemed confused and dazed but smiled nonetheless. "Maya, why didn't you tell me you wanted to be a track star?" I asked curious as to why she wouldn't share such information with me.

She dropped her head in shame. "All of you guys are so amazing with music. Yuka plays piano. Fuyuko plays drums. Mari plays guitar. You play bass. I'm tone-deaf. I barely passed music class. I was afraid you'd make fun of me." My heart dropped. I embraced her tightly. "I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to make your dream come true."

"We'll all help you, Maya-chan." Tadase spoke up for everyone. Maya blushed and smiled. I thought she might pass out again, this time from happiness that the "Prince" spoke to her so kindly. I stood off to the side as Maya spoke with the "Guardians" in order to call Yuka. She picked up immediately. "Did you find her?" Not even a hello? "Yeah, don't worry. I've got her." I could almost hear her smile. Bidding goodbye to Yuka, I walked over to Maya again.

"Maya, there's no way you can run like that." I told her in my sternest voice. Her face dropped with sadness. "So, we'll just have to go get you some new shoes." She perked up. "You mean, now?" I nodded. She couldn't contain herself. She leapt onto me and squeezed me so tightly I couldn't breathe. We waved as we walked away from the group, towards the shopping center once again to buy Maya's shoes. The shoes that would be the start of her dream.


	3. 3: l'Ange Gardien

"What were you thinking!?" For the millionth time, Yuka shouted that phrase into Maya's forehead. With how much she was yelling, she must've been scared to death. Maya and I were standing side by side, holding hands and taking Yuka's accusing jabs. "I'm sorry, Yuka." Maya repeated. Her palms were sweaty from worry but I continued to squeeze them comfortingly. I held the plastic bag that carried Maya's brand new running shoes limply at my side. Maya sure was getting it rough. I bit my lip, thoughtfully. After a few moments of racking my brain, I came up with an excuse to pardon Maya.

"Ya know, Yuka," I began. "I just remembered that it wasn't Maya's fault at all. It was all mine." I tried to play this off as less of an excuse and more of a sudden "realization". "I was going to go grocery shopping and I had told her she could come. But that was a few days ago so I must've forgotten to tell you she was coming to meet me. I even forgot I had said yes in the first place so I wasn't at the park to meet her. My bad." I rubbed the back of my head as I explained and hoped secretly that she would buy it. Maya squeezed my hand in confusion and I gently nudged her to keep her quiet.

"What kind of sister are you, Hitomi?!" Yuka growled at me and began shouting, more at me than at Maya now. I smiled to myself. Perfect.

Later that night, I was curled up on my bed, allowing the yellow comforter to envelop me and the pink pillows to cradle me. Holding the phone with one hand and plucking carelessly at a stray thread, I heard Kukai ask, "So, the whole week, huh?" His voice had a sort of disappointment in it. I smiled at his sadness. "Yeah, no TV, no friends. Sorry about this, Kukai." I heard him scoff at my apology. "You don't need to apologize. You're a good sister." I smiled shyly to myself and felt my cheeks burn. "Thanks, Kukai." I muttered into the phone. We ended the conversation and hung up with a dreamy "goodbye".

Huang was complaining, next to me. "A whole week with no adventures? How boring." I smiled at him and pat his rugged hair.

I wasn't sure when or how I fell asleep but only that the late morning sun peeking through my curtains, brightened the room as I awoke. My bedroom looked so light and friendly when illuminated by sunlight rather than artificial light. Slowly, I blinked and pulled myself up out of the pillows that surrounded me. A patch of sunlight found its way on my hardwood floor before my arched window. I smiled, watching the white light evolve into many different colors from passing through the glass. I looked over to Huang's and Alice's sleeping eggs, lingering on Alice's for a moment longer. Each morning I remembered the night I had character transformed and shivered. It had been months since that night and I had never done it since. The grounding was a long, painful week of going to school and seeing the disappointment on Kukai's face each time he asked me to go to a soccer game and realizing I couldn't.

I tiptoed over to my dresser and pulled out a nostalgic T-shirt. The shirt Alice had so grudgingly disapproved of. The little white shirt splattered with paints of all colors. After pulling it over my head and shimmying into a pair of denim shorts, I left my bedroom to eat breakfast and freshen myself up. When I opened the door once more, Huang and Alice were groggily rubbing their eyes free of sleep. I patiently waited on my bed, silently, for the two to awaken fully. I explained to them that I wanted to go out on the town today. Both smiled and agreed.

Walking out into the warm sunlight, I smiled and quickened my pace to a brisk walk. The spring air blew in my hair and the bounce in my step set my bass, slung carelessly over my shoulder, into a monotonous thump, thump, thump rhythm on my hip. Reaching the shopping center, I knew just where to go. I opened the familiar door and listened for the familiar ting-ting of the bell above my head. As I thought, a head of moppy, curly hair turned to look at me through glistening glasses. He turned, grinning. "Yo! Hitomi! How've you been?" I laughed at his excitement. "I've been pretty good, Akira. You?" He showed a thumbs up in response. "So you made it out past the big bad sister?" He winked. Nudging him playfully, I smirked and said in a playful, secretive whisper, "But we all know how much you wish she'd chase me down here so you can see her some more, huh Akira?" I strutted over to the bass amps, leaving a stunned and cherry red Akira at the counter.

For hours we talked about everything as I played my Fender Reggie Hamilton bass. Akira and I have been dear friends for months since the day Kukai and I came in. Yuka had come in on rare occasions to eye the various keyboards and pianos the shop had on sale and, since those visits, Akira had developed a major crush on her. Too bad the poor dear was much shyer than his personality had first reflected. I suppose everyone had a would-be self that they hide away.

Just as we began talking about a promotion for Akira's little shop, the bell above the door tinkled gaily again. Into the shop walked a tall, young man. His blue hair hung, sloppily kept, over his deep blue eyes that stared ahead emotionlessly. His hands were shoved in the pockets of his black trousers. He walked towards the counter and gingerly placed the violin case he held on his back onto the glass. He uttered something to Akira, too quiet for my ears to understand, though he didn't seem to notice me sitting on a stool along the wall, my Reggie Hamilton resting on my thigh as I examined him from afar. Akira nodded and opened the black case, pulling from it a beautiful old violin, worn from use. Embarrassed at my staring, I turned away and focused on an acoustic guitar hanging on the wall that suddenly became interesting. However, I couldn't help but look back. "How long have you played?" I looked around for the voice only to be met with the young man's stare. A small chirp of surprise escaped my lips. I hadn't realized that I had been the one to speak. The young man turned back to looking at his violin that was being cared for by Akira. "Since I was a kid." His deep voice shook my core. I hadn't expected such a direct answer. I smiled and stood, unplugging the bass from the amp. Tossing the instrument onto my back again, I waved energetically to Akira and nodded to the boy on my way out the door.

As I walked through the streets, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, a cheerful ringtone playing. I held it to my ear and happily greeted Yuka at the other end. "Hey, Yuka! What's up?" Yuka seemed to be in a pleasant mood today because she chirped back a friendly, "Hey, Hitomi" before continuing. "Fuyuko hasn't been home at all this week so…" I smiled and interrupted her. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." We hung up and I reveled in the idea of being needed. Fuyuko trusted me the most with her secrets. Though, she was the wildest of my sisters, she was also my best friend. She had an awful habit of partying constantly. When she wasn't partying, she was drinking at some miscellaneous bar in town or hung over at a friend's house. Because I was Fuyuko's confidante, I knew all of her usual spots to drink, smoke, and party and all of her friend's addresses.

I shuffled into a shoddy apartment building in the heart of town and headed up to the 3rd floor. I knocked on the door to Room 321. It opened revealing a young woman of about 20 years old. Her colorful dreadlocks were pinned up into pigtails and her dark eye makeup contrasted with her glistening eyebrow and lip piercings. She was slightly chubby and was wearing a tight black tank top and baggy black pants. Though she looked scary, she was awfully friendly. "Hitomi!" she said in shock. "Hey, kid. Whatcha doin' here?" I smiled at her strange Kansai dialect. "Hey, Tomo! I was wondering if you've seen Fuu. I haven't seen her all week." She sadly shook her head and shrugged. "Search me. We went to a concert last night but she left with Maru and Mimi." I nodded and thanked her. Maru and Mimi were wilder than Tomo. If Fuu was with them, I should probably bring some aspirin. She was bound to be hung over.

After stopping by the drug store to grab some aspirin, I trotted over to Maru's place, an apartment on the top floor of an old historic building. A tall man answered my knock at the door. He wore glasses and had deep brown hair and green eyes. Sporting only a towel about his waist, he blushed and hid his left hand behind the doorframe. Too little, too late though. I had already spotted the golden wedding band around his ring finger. I rolled my blue eyes at the prospect of Maru being ok with sleeping with a married man but continued to be as polite as possible. "Hi, I'm looking for Maru." He stiffly nodded and stepped aside to show an irritated looking Maru in nothing but a towel herself. Noticing it was I, she cleared her throat nervously and asked in a shaken voice. "So, what can I do ya for, Hi-chan?" Her bleached blonde hair was a wreck and her brown eyes, sparkled with desire. I sighed and asked if she had seen my sister, though I figured that if she was comfortable enough to mess around with a married man, Fuu wasn't there. My suspicions were confirmed when she offered the idea to check Mimi's apartment, 5 doors down.

At Mimi's door, I was greeted by none other than herself, ushering me in for some coffee. I hate coffee, the smell, the taste, everything. Alice, who adores the beverage, seemed to be in total bliss. Mimi was very…open and honest, shall we say. She wasn't shy to admit or…show anything. In fact, when she opened the door, Huang nearly fainted at the sight of the redheaded girl in her bra and some shorts. After closing the door behind me, she went behind her breakfast bar to pour a cup of coffee for me despite my objections. She motioned for me to stay quiet when I began to speak and nodded toward the green couch facing the window. A pair of manicured feet, decorated with toe rings, hung off the arm.

I crept closer to find out who the person on the sofa was. I leaned over the sofa only to see a waterfall of wild orange hair cascading over the edge of the sofa cushion. The girl was curled up into a near-fetal position and her arms tightly held a red pillow to hide her face. I sighed and reached down to smooth her hair. Slowly, she peeked out from under the red pillow. "Gosh, Fuu. Look at yourself. You're a wreck." I cooed quietly to her. She removed the pillow and looked up at me with green eyes. "I know. I feel awful, Hi." I smiled. At least she was friendly enough to me during her hangovers. She even calls me by my nickname, "Hi". I scuttled around the breakfast bar and filled a glass of water. I had been here so many times looking for Fuyuko that I knew every inch of this place as if it were my own home. Fuyuko sat up and swallowed the aspirin and drank the water I had gotten her. We talked together for an hour or so, Fuyuko whining all the while that we were talking too loudly. I left my coffee untouched for the most part except for the moments when Mimi's eyes would flash between the cup and me questioningly. In those instances, I'd bring the cup to my lips and tip it forward, allowing Alice to fly between my lips and the rim to drink her fill of the bitter liquid.

The sun began to sink lower into the sky. The clock struck 4:00 and I rose with Fuyuko slightly leaning on me. "Thanks, Mimi. You're a lifesaver. Who knows where Fuu would be if you hadn't have let her stay here." She nodded; her curly died red hair bouncing brightly -in contrast to her brown roots that were barely showing themselves- and smirked playfully. "I know. I'm amazing, aren't I?"

Fuyuko and I walked together towards home, she complaining the whole way.

A few days later, I had returned home from an especially rough day of school. Homework was piling up. Projects were hanging threateningly over my head. I was so overwhelmed that I felt like crying. I had neither been able to play my bass at all nor been able to stop by to see Akira. My life was suffocating me.

In my bedroom, I had just finished talking to Kukai who chatted excitedly about his game. "5-0," He said. "Oh, you should've been there, Hitomi!" He was right. I should've but if I had, I wouldn't have been able to do any homework. I promised him I'd be there but I couldn't. Though I knew he wasn't mad at me, I was still festering in my guilt. I shuffled slowly towards my window. Gently, pressing the white lace curtains aside, I followed the trail of moonlight from the Victorian railing of my small half-circle balcony, barely fit for one person, to the glistening rooftops of the neighborhood and, finally, to the sky. A breeze entered through my open window. I closed my eyes and breathed in the sweet scent of nighttime as the wind tugged shyly at my long raven locks. The wind retreated into the sky once more, leaving me to stare after it longingly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the clock hanging on my wall. It was almost midnight. Already, I was on the verge of tears. I couldn't stand being confined like this by my life. I wanted to be free to do what I wanted.

Ignoring Huang's initial complaints about my sister finding out, I climbed out onto the windowsill with Alice at my side, loyally. After some persuasion, Huang was convinced that sneaking out of the house would improve his "cool" stature and followed eagerly. I straddled an ivy fence that extended up our home beside my balcony window and carefully made my way down. My bare feet touched the cool concrete and I set off running through the neighborhood, towards the city, enjoying the breeze in my face. Very few people were out at this time; save for the drunks and late-night workers, so I made it through the shopping center, fairly unnoticed. Huang and Alice both looked on, amazed at the lights of the city that shone so brightly at night. I, unsure of whether or not someone would notice a barefoot teenage girl in white shorts and a pink tank top, suggested a walk in the park, away from the people and the possibility of being caught.

The park, as I thought, was quiet and peaceful. No being occupied the small walkways. I allowed my mind to wander to various subjects. Shugo charas. The Guardians. Kukai. My character transformation. At the very moment that I began to wonder about the latter, my concentration was broken by a sad melody on the wind. I followed, hoping to find the source of the lovely sound. Rounding a corner, I recognized the area as the clearing in which I had first transformed into Scrapped Angel in order to save Maya's egg.

Standing majestically upon the platform to which the concrete stairs led was a tall young man. Cradled in his long, strong arms was a cherry violin, echoing out what I recognized to be "l'Ange Gardien" by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. I watched him, mesmerized by his passion and fire. I couldn't see his face well except for his head of thick, wild dark hair. However, the one thing that hypnotized me into moving ever closer and taking a seat on a bench nearby was his hands. Such long fingers. So perfect for the violin. They seemed to glide across the fingerboard like birds through the sky. Each touch on a string was as delicate and gentle as if he were touching the pale cheek of some long lost lover. The respect and care with which he played his instrument made me feel like crying a thousand tears. I could no longer feel the chill of the bench on my thighs. I could only feel the music resonating within my heart and I could only see those hands, playing, gliding, as if they were tracing the very contours of the music they produced.

The last painful note thrust me back into the silence of the real world. Immediately, I clapped for his performance. He turned to me, surprised at the sudden sound and obviously not expecting a listener. His eyes landed on me, seated on a bench beneath a barely blooming cherry blossom tree. Motionless, he gazed at me, dark eyes boring into mine. I rose and walked towards him with a friendly smile. "I really enjoy listening to you play." He seated himself upon a concrete step and tucked his violin away. I recognized that violin. He was the boy from the shop. I cautiously climbed the steps toward him, as if I was approaching a wild animal. Finally, I made myself comfortable next to him on the step, my arms wrapped tightly around my thighs. "I'm Hitomi. Yamanashi Hitomi." I greeted quietly. "I know." He replied shortly. I drew back in surprise. His eyes followed me. "Akira told me after you left." I smiled mischievously. I wasn't sure if he'd appreciate my humor but I was feeling the adrenaline from sneaking out kick in. I leaned closer. "Ah, interested in me, are we?" He turned to face me. "Yes." My smile dropped in shock. After a moment of awkward silence and staring, he cracked a smirk. "You're the most masculine girl I've ever seen." A moment passed before I understood what he was saying. I gasped in indignation. "Why you!" I was interrupted though by his muffled laughter from beneath his hand. Oh those hands… My anger melted away at the sight of them. Realizing my anger had vanished, I summoned it once more for one last irritated, "Jeez…" and an annoyed turn of my head away from those hands and that laughter. He spoke again. "Well, think about it. What kind of girl plays bass? It's such a…boyish instrument." I shrugged and thought. "Me." It was his turn to look surprised. I smiled and turned my face toward the sky. Barely, I saw him follow suite. My mind wandered once more. This time, to my father. I took a deep breath. A deep, slow tune filled the air. As I whistled the song loudly, I felt the boy's eyes land on me. Even after I finished, he stared at me, confused. I began to wonder if he didn't like the song.

"What is it?" I asked, concerned. He furrowed his brows. "How do you do that?" I stared on in shock. "You've never whistled before?" He shook his head, the slightest hint of pink at his cheeks. I grinned. "Then I'll teach you!" He turned back to me, looking as if I had lost my mind. "Right now?" I nodded vigorously.

After showing me a pathetic attempt at whistling and my giggling at it, I placed my hands on his cheeks to keep him from storing air in them. "Now blow. Good, that's it." He still couldn't whistle. "Now make sure your lips are puckered. Like you just ate something sour. A little more. Right there." I explained to him how the note that comes out is a direct result of how large the opening of the lips is. He seemed to understand well enough but still couldn't whistle a single note. He grew frustrated and continued blowing air through his lips. At long last, a note! He looked just as taken aback as I was. While I smiled so largely I though my cheeks might fall off, he cocked his head, confused. "That's it! Keep going!" Eventually, he was able to produce a whistle but could barely make 3 notes. Nonetheless, beneath his cold façade, I saw the pride in his eyes.

We continued talking. I was quite dumbfounded at how extensive our talk was considering we hadn't spoken before except for 1 phrase. We spoke of music and our favorite artists, why we picked our instruments, etc. We even began speaking about our Shugo charas, though Huang and Alice seemed unsure of the safety.

All at once, he stood up and looked down at me, a mischievous smile played on his lips. "Come with me. I want to show you something." I stood beside him. "What is it?" "You'll see." He smirked at me. Yoru, his chara, meowed. Suddenly, a pair of black cat ears emerged from his mop of hair and a black tail unfurled from his spine. I backed away, startled at the sudden change, only to be swept up in the boy's arms and propelled through the air.

Beneath us, the world was asleep. The lights below made the city seem like a pond reflecting the stars in the night sky. The transition from the roofs of buildings into the air and back again seemed so smooth it was like we were floating on the wind that ran through my hair. My frightened grip on his neck loosened and I released a small giggle of joy. We approached a tall skyscraper. The sign it held read "Easter". Kukai had mentioned something about them. But what? Unfortunately, I had no time to ponder this. My joy turned to fear when the boy took a great and powerful leap from a neighboring building that wasn't nearly as tall as the Easter headquarters. We shot up into the sky, fast and swift. The boy leaned back as we flew and headed straight for the windows of the Easter building. I began to shout and scream. Through my nearly closed eyes, I saw him smirk as I screamed. What a jerk! We were going to crash into a building and he was smirking?


	4. 4: From the Heart

My heart skipped a beat when he whispered coolly to me, "Hold on tight." I buried my face into his chest as my arms tightened around his long, pale neck. 'Gladly,' I thought to myself. ' Anything that'll keep me from dying.' I felt a sudden jerk from him. He leaned back completely. My terrified eyes stared straight down on the streets that we flew above. My breath caught in my throat and I shielded my eyes from the sight by once again burying my face into his neck. His neck felt like a warm summer night and his dark locks that brushed my cheek smelled strange but wonderful. Like a forest just after the rain.

I felt a thud and his breathing picked up considerably. The flight suddenly became bumpy and uncomfortable as he ran up the side of the building. I peeked out from his neck and stared ahead. The moon and stars welcomed my gaze. I was mesmerized. The thrill from the notion that we could fall if he stopped moving even for a millisecond sent shivers up my spine and gave me goosebumps. But I liked them. It was the most fun I'd ever had. Before I awoke from my daydream, I felt him leap with all his might – as demonstrated by his grunt- and we began fast approaching the rooftop of Easter. He landed calmly on the fence of the roof and gingerly placed me over it. My hair was wild and I felt like I was going to be sick. I sat down in a terrified but excited stupor while he dusted off his clothes nonchalantly, as if we had simply walked or taken the train to the 80-something story of a skyscraper. With an amused but apologetic expression, he hoisted me to my feet and nudged me to the railing facing east.

"Watch. This is my favorite spot to come anytime I need to be alone." He mumbled the last few words and rubbed his hair in a prideful yet embarrassed way. I shyly smiled at his insecurities but was soon interrupted by a ray of light that peered at me from the clouds on the horizon. I returned my stare to the sky. The sunrise was beginning and how right he was to bring me there. What a fantastic sight it was. He smiled to himself as we both watched the sun together as if he had thought of a funny inside joke. "Ikuto." He said suddenly. I looked at him with confusion. "What?" He turned to me and smirked. "I'm Ikuto. Tsukiyomi Ikuto." I grinned. "That's a good name. Tsukiyomi Ikuto." I liked the way it rolled off my tongue. I rested my cheek in my palm and repeated his name to myself many a time whilst we watched the sunrise. However, halfway through I felt my eyelids droop and become heavy. I conceded to their weariness and allowed myself to drift away.

His soothing voice awoke me minutes later. "Hey, sleepyhead. I better get you home." I nodded sleepily. I didn't really hear or understand what he had said but, whatever it was, I liked it. He scooped me up into his arms again and leapt towards the suburbs. I remember being awoken once more by someone tucking me into bed. Slowly, I unfurled my eyelashes and recognized the dark and mysterious Ikuto putting me to bed. His face was neither irritated nor kind. He was emotionless, as if tucking me in was merely a job or duty, not an action of his own free will. I smiled to myself. I knew he was cold and hard. It comforted me to know that I can always count on that if nothing else. Ikuto Tsukiyomi will always be cold and mysterious no matter which way you look at it. I began to wonder how he had found my home but he seemed to read my mind. "Huang and Alice told me where you lived. What a dump." He smirked arrogantly. I giggled and pushed him weakly towards the window. "Go home, Ikuto." He turned with another sarcastic smirk. "You're welcome." He was gone and I had fallen asleep seconds after.

"Hitomi! Wake up!" This along with a massive weight knocking the wind out of me was what I woke up to a mere 2 hours after I had fallen asleep. It was 7:45 am and I was not pleased. I peeked out from under my eyelids to catch a glimpse of my visitor. Fuyuko's bright orange hair and mischievous green eyes met my blue ones. I groaned. She was currently sitting on my stomach and grinning. Till this day I have absolutely no idea whether or not she was drunk though I had half a mind to think she was. "Fuu, aren't we a little old for this?" I uttered as I plopped my fluffy pillow onto my face. She quickly removed it. "No, dumbass, you're – ow!" I pinched her. "Watch your mouth, Fuu. There are children in the house." I said this though I mostly didn't feel like being chastised by her. She sighed irritably. "Fine, fine. But you're gonna be late for school, you know. Get your ass in gear!"

I flew up, knocking her off my stomach in the process, and dressed myself. She slithered out of the room with no passing word but a sly giggle. After making myself presentable - with Alice's help of course – I snatched a piece of toast from Yuka's ready hand as she read the newspaper. Her expression remained static as I shouted my good-byes and hurried toward school. As I ran, I mentally blamed Ikuto as if he could hear me. My mumbles grew to growls and my growls to yelps of irritation. He kept me out all night even though he knew I had school the next day! I'd be sure to pay him back two fold.

Thanks to Maya and her jogging practice – she had been making me run with her since we bought her new shoes – I made it to school in record time but soon collapsed on my desk. "Hey! You made it!" A familiar voice praised and hung an arm loosely around my neck. Why must people touch me today? I lifted my head to see Kukai, his friendly smile gleaming down at me. I leaned over and buried my head into his diaphragm. I felt him sigh. "What's the matter? Didn't sleep well?" He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave them a warm squeeze. "More like didn't sleep at all." I groaned. While pressing me for a reason, the bell rang and he retired to his seat. And so, the day dragged on miserably. I scarcely remember a single particle of what was said in any of my classes. During lunch, Kukai once again asked why I didn't sleep. "Well, it's kind of…weird. I don't know how to explain it." I truly didn't. Not without sounding completely idiotic at least. "Try." He commanded. I could sense his concern and authoritative paternal air. "I snuck out. While I was in the park, I heard a violin so I went to listen. It was this weird guy I've seen around and we talked for a while. He's actually pretty cool. I like him a lot," I explained, "But he's a total moron. He almost ran me into the side of the Easter building when he was flying me up to the roof to watch the sunrise. Do you even realize how terrified I was?" My voice began to rise but Kukai interrupted. "Wait, Flying? Who were you with? Superman? And what were you doing around Easter? I thought I told you not to hang out around there." He leaned forward and glared straight into my eyes. They were filled with worry. "Who were you with?" he whispered. I shrugged and averted his gaze. I knew he was only concerned but, let's face it, his concern was scary! "Tsukiyomi." I mumbled. "That was his name. Tsukiyomi…Ikuto." Kukai inhaled sharply and leaned back. We sat a while in silence. I could feel Kukai staring at me with disappointment. Was it a crime to hang out with this guy or something? I had lost my appetite and so, I just stared blankly and nervously at my bento.

After some minutes of silence, he spoke. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto is an enemy of the Guardians. You have to remember that if nothing else. He's already tried to get close to Amu. I assume he's trying the same with you. He's too dangerous, Hitomi. I don't want you around him." He sighed the last sentence as if slightly self-conscious. He glanced up at my face that was now clenched into a confused, irritated stare that I felt communicated my feelings perfectly. The stare said, "Who do you think you are? Who are you to tell me who I can be friends with?" He quickly added, "Only for your own sake, of course. I don't want him to hurt you. He works with Easter after all. You know, the company that's trying to stop the Guardians from finding the Embryo?" My face relaxed and I slumped in my chair. I understood his concern and I wanted to follow his advice but there was something about Ikuto. Something that made me want to talk to him, look at him, find out who he really was. Something about Ikuto was new and exciting. Something about Ikuto was a thing I'd never seen before. Not in Kukai or Amu. Neither in Tadase nor Nagihiko. In neither Rima nor Yaya. He was different. More interesting. Just…something about Ikuto.

I trudged home, my legs skidding along the sidewalk. The orange and purple sky painted my cheeks a lively tan instead of my normal, sickly pale hue. It was warmer today. Huang and Alice enjoyed basking themselves in the light as they followed along behind me. Huang chuckled, "Tired already, Hitomi? C'mon, that was nothing!" He flicked his wrist in a way that seemed condescending and cocky. Alice nudged him and quietly she uttered, "Weren't you the one on the bleachers watching her, Huang? Besides, how long has it been since you've done some real work?" She jokingly poked at his stomach that was indeed rock-hard with abs but the fun of it was in his embarrassed reaction. He swatted her pale fingers away with a gruff paw of his own and wrapped his arms around his sides. His cheeks flushed a soft pink and, with an irritable "humph", he turned away. I giggled. "Oh, Huang, she's only joking with you. You're a true picture of health." I gently prodded his cheek with my fingertip, playfully. He was unresponsive. Alice and I smirked to each other. Leaning close to each ear, we both whispered softly to him, "Huang, you're really amazing. The most incredible chara around. Completely cool." At the mention of himself being "cool", he perked up and grinned. He always did try to impress everyone he could and reveled in the idea of being "completely cool" as if it were the absolute best compliment ever given.

I had stayed after school for gymnastics try-outs. I felt like I needed something to do with my time other than sitting in my room alone writing music and wandering around Akira's store. Don't get me wrong! I loved to do those things but I was in need of some good old-fashioned exercise. Just thinking about the try-outs made my stomach turn. The coach said she'd post the results the next day and I really hoped my name would be scrawled out near the top in the beautiful intricate kanji for "mountain", "pear tree", and "pupil". My wishful thinking was halted by the sound of loud laughing coming from a group of high school boys at the intersection ahead of me. They wore the most peculiar uniforms – black long-sleeved shirts with pointed collars and black slacks that loosely hung on their skinny thighs. I pinpointed the source of the obnoxious voices. It was two boys chattering away. One was tan with short chocolate brown hair. The other was slightly less so with obviously dyed blonde wavy locks. There was another in the middle of the two though that one said not a word. The back of his head was covered completely in a mop of dark hair. He carried his shoulders high and his head higher as he continued walking forward. He seemed proud and arrogant. Those two words put a bad taste in my mouth though I knew from experience that I too was quite proud. Perhaps I was a hypocrite? I couldn't ponder this thought long for the boy in the middle turned his head making me stop mid-stride. It was Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I wanted to speak to him but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Should I interrupt him? Should I politely ask him to talk for a moment? However, a realization dawned over me. I relaxed my tense shoulders and smiled to myself. Promptly, I turned down a side street that snaked around the above intersection. He was happy with his friends. I decided to leave him be with them.

I had finished my homework early that night and I sat cross-legged on my bed, completely at ease, as I plucked at the thick metal strings on my bass. I tried out a progression of notes, changing one or two along the way, and leaned forward to write them down on the crudely drawn musical staff in my notebook. I finished the bassline with a hammer-on and smiled. I actually liked my work. I crawled off my bed and hung the paper on a corkboard that was already covered completely with other pieces of music I had written. Huang piped up. "You should add a jazz scale to it! That would really bring it together!" he nodded his head with a grin. "You think jazz will sound good with everything. It's a rock song, Huang." Alice murmured. I laughed as Huang pouted and she took a dainty sip of her coffee and politely crossed her legs under her white baby doll dress. I plopped onto my stomach under my soft mint green blanket. Hearing a buzz from my right on my bedside table, I reached over and held it in front of my face after piling the plush pillow beneath my chin. I stared at the screen blankly for a moment, my eyes flicking over the message, and smiled before replying quickly and placing it back onto the table. After doing so, I relaxed my head upon my pillow and slowly allowed my eyes to close. I heard a soft rustle of eggshells and took note that Huang and Alice probably followed my lead and went to bed. It felt like an hour that I had been asleep but merely 5 minutes later I awoke suddenly. This was all due to a depression in the bed that I felt and a section of the blanket being taken from me. Groggily, I stared at the new occupant of my bed. Oh, it was just Ikuto. I turned back and closed my eyes.

Processing…

Processing…

Processing…

My eyes jerked open and I turned to gape at my new neighbor. An unintentionally and unattractively loud "huh?" resounded from my lips. There he sat, back reclined against my headboard and completely focused on a piece of paper that I recognized as one of my finished songs. "Hey!" I shouted at him. He ignored me. I leaned over and repeated flatly, "Heeey." Ignored again. I attempted to swipe the paper from him – I hated when people read my work – but he simply pulled it out of my reach, not taking his eyes from the page. I groaned with irritation and let my head fall face-first into the pillow. I waited for him to finish.

Finally – "Did you write this yourself?" I lifted my head and nodded stiffly. "Yeah, a while ago." He smirked and said, "Well, you're not very good at it, are you?" I hated that cocky smirk. I ripped the paper from his long fingers – oh, those fingers…no, not now – and stumbled out of bed to replace it on the billboard. He chastised me the whole way. "The lyrics make no sense and they don't even rhyme." I whirled around and crossed my arms, "Well, what do you know? I wrote that song from the heart, you know!" He stared at me blankly. "What are you doing here anyway?" I mumbled as I crawled into bed again.

He shrugged. "I'm certainly not here because I think you're cute if that's what you're asking." Slowly, I realized that I certainly didn't look very attractive in a T-shirt and ruffled hair. I furrowed my brows and put on an annoyed frown and a blush. I attempted to push him out of the bed but he weighed too much and I was quite weak. I quickly reclined against the headboard as well, crossed my arms with a huff and kicked him hard. He grimaced and smirked. Placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed position, he murmured, "Who knows why I'm here." After an awkward lingering silence, my phone's vibrations broke it. Before I could reach it, Ikuto snatched it up and read the message. "Hey! That's my message, not yours!" He smirked. "Kukai, huh? Whatever." He shrugged and tossed the phone to me. To my relief, he had texted me before but I hadn't noticed. This message he just sent me had simply been a smiley face, no doubt to make sure that I had gotten his message. I replied quickly with,

"Sorry, I fell asleep. I'm going to sleep, ok? See you tomorrow. :)"

After replying, all fell silent again. Then, "If you say that song comes from the heart, then play it for me. If you put your heart into it, it'll sound good." I smiled and sighed. "Maybe I will someday." I reached over and turned out the lamp. I faced away from Ikuto and made myself comfortable in my bed, closing my eyes and slowly dozing off. I felt him do the same. I smiled to myself. 'All men are idiots.' I thought, 'They don't get hints. So dense…'


End file.
